Follow the Breadcrumbs
by Carol
Summary: Arnaud spoils the fun
1. Default Chapter

3 weeks after Gilligan and Mrs

Follow the Breadcrumbs Part 1

By Carol M.

Note: This is the 3rd story in the Devil's Silver Series. It would probably help to read Gilligan and Mrs. Howell, but it's not absolutely necessary.

Rating: This part is PG.

Spoilers: Little stuff from FFH, MFN Part 1 & Part 2, Small World, IOBE

Disclaimer: I don't own them, I just play with them.

3 weeks after Gilligan and Mrs. Howell

"Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me," sang Claire cheerfully as she got dressed to go to work.

She pulled a deep red cashmere sweater over her head and matched it with a medium length black skirt. The outfit, which she had bought yesterday, had cost $200. It was her birthday present to herself. 

She ran into her bathroom and put a dab of mascara on the lashes of her blue eyes. Then she reached for her red lipstick and dabbed it delicately across her lips, going for just a hint of color. For the final step, she splashed a dab of Lady in the Lake perfume on her wrist and behind her ears.

"Ready to go," she thought to herself as she grabbed her car keys and started to walk downstairs. That was when she looked down at her feet and noticed she was barefoot. She ran back to her bedroom and looked in the closet. She eyed her black boots. With a sly smile she took them out of the closet and put them on her feet. She remembered hearing Darien say how much he liked these boots. Not that she was dressing for Darien or anything.

She dashed down the stairs of her apartment and headed out to her SUV. She was practically skipping. Claire didn't really know why she was in such a good mood. It's not like anyone at the Agency would even know it was her birthday because she hadn't told any of them. Maybe it was because of her new outfit or maybe it was because she had found out yesterday that she was getting a research grant for better lab equipment. Whatever it was, she just went with it. Claire did not normally classify herself as chipper and she wanted to take advantage of this rare mood.

She drove her SUV through early morning San Diego traffic, humming softly with the radio. She wondered when Darien would be in to get his shot. Knowing Darien it would probably be somewhere around eleven. Unless he had a case, Darien Fawkes did not know the meaning of getting up early.

Claire pulled her SUV into her usual space in front of the Department of Fish and Game, the Department of Indian Affairs or the Department of Health and Human services, whatever the Agency was calling itself these days. As usual, she was the first to arrive. She got out of her SUV and sauntered to the front door of the Agency. She opened the door and started her journey to the Keep.

"Hi guys," she said as she passed by the two guards near the door.

"Good morning Miss Keeply," one of them replied.

Claire stepped onto the elevator and began the descent to the ground floor. She swayed softly to the Muzak playing. The door opened and Claire stepped off the elevator. She walked to the Keep door, pulling out her keycard. She inserted the keycard and the Keep door opened. She was greeted by pitch blackness. That's odd, she thought. She normally kept one of the lights on overnight. She felt for the switch by the door. She flipped it and the lights came on.

"SURPRISE!" yelled Darien, Bobby, Alex, Eberts and the Official. 

Claire jumped in surprise. She then took in the sight before her. Darien and Bobby stood by the fish tanks, both wearing birthday hats and blowing on noisemakers. Eberts stood to the right of them, holding a sign that said "Happy Birthday Keep." Alex and the Official stood behind Eberts, a cake on the table next to them.

Claire walked towards them smiling widely. "How did you guys know, I never told any you," she said.

Darien smiled and stepped towards her, patting her on the arm. "Ah, Claire, you forget, I was a thief. I might have swiped your wallet a time or two," Darien said.

Claire laughed. Darien pointed towards the table near the fish tanks. Claire saw several packages wrapped up in birthday paper. Claire gasped. "Ah, you guys didn't have to do this," she said.

"Sure we did," Bobby said. "You're the Keepie."

Alex stepped towards the table with the presents on them. "Come on, Claire, open your presents. I'm dying to see what kind of bad taste these boys have," she said with a sarcastic smile.

Bobby and Darien both rolled their eyes.

Claire started to walk towards the table. She walked past Eberts who was still holding the sign.

"Thank you, Eberts," she said as she softly patted him on the back.

Eberts blushed slightly. "Your welcome," he said shyly.

The Official chimed in. "I will have you know Claire, that I have never seen Bobby nor Darien come into the office this early since the entire time they've been working here."

"Oh the sacrifices we endure, right Bobby," said Darien.

Claire reached the table and picked up a present wrapped in balloon wrapping paper. "That's from me," said Alex quickly.

"Alex, you didn't have too," replied Claire.

"No, no, I insist, open it," she said eagerly.

Claire tore the paper off the box. She opened the box and discovered a very expensive looking silk scarf.

"Oh, Alex, this is so sweet. But I can't accept this, this is too much," Claire said.

Alex stepped forward and shook her head. "Nonsense, you deserve it, being cooped up here all day."

"Well thank you very much," Claire said with a smile. "You're welcome," Alex replied.

Claire picked up a smaller box. She raised it in the air. "Who is this from?" she asked.

Bobby shuffled and coughed nervously. "That would be mine," he said. Darien smiled at Bobby and elbowed him playfully in the ribs.

Claire smiled gently. She opened the box and pulled out a small gold bracelet. "Oh Bobby," she said. "You are too kind sometimes," she said. "Thank you," she said softly.

"No problem, Claire, it's my pleasure," Bobby said.

Claire picked up a small pink envelope from the table. "That's mine," said Eberts earnestly.

Claire opened the envelope and found front row tickets to the symphony. "I figured since you enjoyed it so much the last time, that maybe you would like to go again," Eberts said with a smile.

Claire returned the smile. Bobby mocked Eberts and started to walk towards him, ready to deck the little punk. Darien realized what Bobby wanted to do and he forced Bobby away from Eberts.

"Ah, Claire, my official contribution to this little shindig is the cake. I didn't know what to get you," said the Official from his position behind Eberts.

"Oh sir, that's very sweet of you, I appreciate it," she said.

Claire picked up a birthday bag off the table. She picked it up. "Darien, is this yours?" she asked.

"Yep, it sure is," he replied with a sly smile.

Claire opened the bag. She first pulled out an envelope. Inside the envelope were gift certificates to the Chinese place from which she ordered so often.

Claire laughed. "Perfect Darien," she said. "Keep going, there's more," he said.

She dug deeper into the bag. She pulled out a gold sparkling candle. "That's for the next time we get trapped in the dark," said Darien. Claire nodded in understanding. "One more thing," said Darien hesitantly.

Claire reached to the bottom of the bag and pulled out a CD. The cover said "Happy Birthday to the Dancing Queen, from Bartholomew. Claire giggled. She turned the CD over and looked at the songs. Her heart skipped a beat. Darien had put the songs they had danced to while stuck in the Keep a few weeks back on the CD. First the fast ones and then the fateful slow one. The rest of the CD consisted of some of her favorite symphony pieces. "Oh Darien," Claire said softly as she stepped towards him and hugged him. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Darien stepped back, dazed. "Thank you," she said.

Darien nodded slowly. "You're most welcome."

"Hey Claire," said Bobby as he pointed towards his cheek. Claire laughed. She went over and hugged Bobby and then kissed him on the cheek. She walked past Bobby and gave Eberts a hug and a peck.

Claire then stepped towards Alex and gave her a small hug. Claire walked towards the Official. "Sir?" she asked with a smile.

"Oh, come on," he replied gruffly as he hugged Claire.

Claire smiled widely at all of them. "Thank you so much, you guys. I never expected this," she said with eyes full of tears.

"It was our pleasure Claire," said Bobby. "Let's eat," he said.

The group sat and ate their cake, chatting quietly.

"So how old are you Keepie," asked Darien playfully. Claire gave Darien an evil look.

"Twenty five, right," he said.

"Good answer, Darien," Claire replied with an evil smile.

The Official finished his cake and threw the plate in the trash. "Okay people, it's time to get back to work," he said. "Let's go, Eberts."

Eberts diligently finished his cake and walked to Claire. "Hope you have a great birthday, Claire," Eberts said.

"Thank you Eberts, for everything," Claire said. Claire looked towards the Official. "Thanks Charlie," she said.

The Official nodded and he and Eberts exited the Keep.

"I better get back up to my office, I got a lot of stuff to do," said Alex as she threw away her plate.

"Thanks again, Alex," said Claire.

Alex smiled. "No problem," said Alex as she stepped through the door of the Keep.

Claire, Darien and Bobby finished the rest of their cake. "Come on partner, we got to go see the Official in a few minutes," said Bobby as he headed towards the door.

"Feliz Cumpleanos, Claire," said Bobby.

"Gracias," said Claire.

"Come on Fawkes," said Bobby impatiently.

"Go ahead without me Hobbes, I gotta get a shot," Darien said as he walked to the counteragent chair.

"All right, I'll catch you in a few, my friend," Bobby said as he exited the keep.

Darien looked up at Claire, who was getting his shot ready. She looked really pretty today. He loved those black boots. They made her look so sexy. He thought he even detected a hint of perfume on her. "You look really nice, Claire," Darien said softly.

Claire turned around and blushed. "Oh, thank you. I bought this outfit for myself as a birthday present," she said.

She tied the rubber strap around Darien's arm to find a vein. Darien pulled out his emergency counteragent and handed it to her. "Time for the passing of the baton," said Darien.

Claire shook her head. "Not today Darien. I'm doing a big experiment on counteragent tomorrow and I need all the counteragent that I can spare," she said.

Darien looked at her with concern. "Do you think that's a good idea? I mean what if something happens?" he said.

"Don't worry, Darien. If you need some, you can always come in and get it. Just be careful about using quicksilver for the next day or so and it should be fine," she said with a slight smile.

Darien nodded, starting to relax. She was right, as long as he was careful, he would be in no danger.

"Thanks Keep," he said as Claire gave him his shot. He grimaced slightly at the pain. "You would think I would get used to this," he said.

Claire gave him a sympathetic smile. She touched him slightly on the shoulder. She looked at him intently. "Thank you Darien, for my present. That was really sweet," she said.

It was Darien's turn to blush. "Hey you know I was just trying to suck up so you would give me my shots gentler," he said teasingly.

Claire nodded knowingly and smiled widely. "Of course," she said as she threw away the shots.

"Well Claire, I gotta go see Hobbes and the Fatman. If you ever wanna have another dance party, give me a call," he said as he started walking to the door.

"I sure will," she said.

"Happy Birthday, Claire. I would say it in some sophisticated foreign language, but my limited mind is not as worldly traveled as Hobbesy."

"Thanks Bartholomew," she said jokingly.

Darien shook his head. "Now what did I tell you about that," he said with a laugh.

He waved as he walked out the door.

Claire stood and looked around at all the presents and the cake surrounding her. She really hadn't expected this at all. It was really nice to know they cared.

Claire drove back to her apartment listening to the CD Darien had given her. She recalled how much fun she had had with Darien that day. She had finally been able to show a little bit of her real self and not be the cold scientist all the time.

The slow song came on the CD. Claire thought about dancing in Darien's strong arms. Him dipping her and spinning her and almost, well kissing her. She wondered what it would be like to kiss Darien Fawkes. She jumped out of her thoughts when she realized she was in her parking space at her apartment. She reached into her CD player and ejected the CD, putting it back in its case. She gathered up the rest of her presents and walked to the front door. She pulled her key out and opened the door.

She stepped inside and her heart stopped cold. Arnaud stood to her side. She quickly dropped her presents and opened the front door. Arnaud stepped to her and pushed the front door shut.

"Now, now Claire, no need to run," he said calmly.

"You little bastard," she said as she started to back away from him.

"Now Claire, that's not very nice of you," he said.

Claire turned around and was about to run, when a huge muscular man blocked her path and grabbed her. She struggled hard against him, desperate to get away. Another man came up to her and restrained her legs. She struggled even more. Pavlov ran to the front door and started barking.

"Shut up dog," yelled one of the men. Claire continued to struggle against the two men.

Arnaud gave the men an annoyed look. "Keep her still please," he said.

Arnaud pulled out a hypodermic needle. Claire looked at him in terror. She started to kick out, but the men holding her were too strong. Arnaud stepped towards her and injected her with the needle. Within seconds, Claire went limp in their arms. Pavlov looked up at Arnaud curiously.

"That's a good dog," said Arnaud as he petted Pavlov softly. Pavlov wagged his table and scampered away happily.

"Gentleman, if you would follow me," said Arnaud as he walked out of the back door of Claire's apartment. The two thugs followed with an unconscious Claire tucked in their arms.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

The Next Morning

Follow the Breadcrumbs Part 2

By Carol M.

Summary: Arnaud spoils the fun

Spoilers: Probably most of the back nine

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: I don't own them, I just play with them

Thanks for the feedback guys. I hope you have as much fun reading this as I had writing it!

The Next Morning

Darien sat in the passenger's seat of the Agency van, listening to Bobby's snoring. They had been on a stakeout all night to catch a CIA operative suspected of trading secrets for cash. The Official had loaned them to the CIA because of Darien's particular talent. Darien had spent the last week sneaking and peaking at possible suspects. He had finally narrowed it down to one very promising suspect, Daryl Hopkins. So he and Bobby had spent all night waiting for the guy to make a move. But so far, there had been nothing.

Darien had been listening to Bobby's snoring for the last hour. It was getting down right annoying. It kept jogging him out of his thoughts of Claire. He thought about her birthday party yesterday. He had been happy with her reaction yesterday at the present he had given her. He didn't know how she would take the CD. Would she laugh in his face, give him a disgusted look and forever think him crazy? Instead of being horrified, she had kissed him. Okay, she hadn't kissed him kissed him, but still, she had kissed him. He guessed the CD was the right way to go. 

He didn't really know how to approach the whole Claire situation. First of all, she was totally out of his league. She was smart and gorgeous, sweet yet feisty. How could she fall for an ex-con like him? And then there was the whole working together thing. Could he date a coworker? How would Bobby take it? How would the Official take it? He decided to stop thinking about it and concentrate on the task at hand.

He picked up the Rubix cube he had been trying to figure out all night. He wasn't even close to solving it. He never had been good at mind games.

"Hobbes, Bobby Hobbes, shaken not stirred," said Bobby in his sleep.

Darien rolled his eyes and gave Bobby a tap on the shoulder. Bobby reacted quickly and pulled out his gun. "Nobody follows Bobby Hobbes, my friend," he said in a strange sleep-filled deep voice.

"Will you put that damn thing down and wake the hell up," said Darien, irritated.

Bobby looked around and realized where he was. "Sorry partner," he said as he put the gun back in his coat.

"Oh, no problem, I'm doing pretty good for a guy who almost got his head blown off," Darien said sarcastically.

Bobby looked in the back of the van. "Pizza, where's the pizza from last night?" said Bobby as he shuffled through assorted trash in the back. "Ah ha," said Bobby as he pulled out a pizza box. 

He opened the pizza box and found that it was empty. Darien gave Bobby a guilty look. "Fawkes, did you eat the rest of the pizza?" Bobby asked.

Darien cleared his throat. "Maybe," he said with a slight smile.

"Fawkes, how could you do that? The cold pizza in the morning is the best part of a stakeout," said Bobby, who looked crushed.

Darien patted Bobby on the shoulder. "I'll take you out for pizza for lunch, okay buddy," said Darien.

Darien looked out the window and saw Hopkins get into his car. "Looks like it's that time partner, let's hit it," said Darien as he put on his seatbelt.

Darien and Bobby watched Hopkins drive by. Hobbes waited a few seconds and then started tailing him.

The two were silent as Bobby continued to tail Hopkins down the downtown streets of San Diego. Darien absentmindedly tried to solve his Rubix cube. Bobby kept looking over at Darien and then would look away. Darien didn't notice at first, but after Bobby did it for the third time, Darien looked at Bobby. 

"What?" Darien asked.

"Nothing," said Bobby as he drove the car.

"What's wrong? Why did you keep looking at me?" Darien asked curiously.

"What, I'm not allowed to look at you?" Bobby said as he turned a corner.

Darien shook his head. "Never mind."

He went back to playing with the Rubix cube. After a few minutes, Bobby looked at him again. 

"Are you keeping time with the Keep?" Bobby asked suddenly.

Darien looked at Bobby with a look of surprise. "No, why would you think that?" Darien said quickly.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because she was practically crying after that present you gave her for her birthday," Bobby said. "Are you moving in on her?"

Darien smiled. "Hobbesy, I couldn't think of anything to get her, so I figured burning her a CD was the easiest thing to do, you know. Don't feel so threatened," he said.

Bobby scoffed. "Bobby Hobbes never feels threatened."

Bobby pulled into a parking lot behind an abandoned warehouse. Hopkins had pulled his car around the front of the warehouse. "Okay Fawkes, time for the ole Iman shuffle," said Bobby as he got out of the car to stake out the place.

"Aye aye captain," said Darien as he let the quicksilver flow out of him.

Darien quickly started to jog to the front of the warehouse. Bobby followed behind him, staying out of sight of Hopkins. Darien could see Hopkins talking to a well-dressed man. As he got closer, he saw Hopkins hand the man a folder. The man took the folder and handed Hopkins a briefcase. Darien stepped right next to Hopkins as he opened the briefcase.

"I trust it's all there," Hopkins asked the other man.

"I am a man of my word. Five hundred thousand in cash," said the well-dressed man. Darien had to stop himself from whistling at the cash. It had been awhile since he had seen so much at once.

"Well I guess that seals it," said Hopkins as he closed the briefcase. He put out his hand and shook hands with the well-dressed man.

Darien let the quicksilver flake off of him. "Not quite there, kids," said Darien with a smile. Hopkins immediately took off running. "Hobbes!" yelled Darien as he took off after Hopkins. 

The well-dress man also ran, heading for the warehouse. Bobby came up behind him and pointed his gun. "Freeze!" he yelled. The man kept running. Bobby shot off a warning shot. The man jumped slightly and stopped running. He put his hands up the in the air. "That's a good little spy," said Bobby as he walked towards the man. He reached the man and handcuffed him.

Darien ran after Hopkins, who was making a beeline for his car. Darien's longer legs helped him to run faster than Hopkins. He caught up to him and took him down with a flying tackle. Hopkins was not going down with out a fight, however. He kicked Darien in the chest, causing Darien to fall back further against the ground. This gave Hopkins enough time pull out a knife. 

Aw crap, Darien thought to himself. Darien quickly got off the ground as Hopkins ran towards him with the knife. Darien side stepped him and pushed him away. Hopkins recovered quickly and stepped towards Darien, slashing him in the side with the knife. Darien gasped in pain. Hopkins went to slice him again, but Darien anticipated it and grabbed his arm. Darien kneed him in the groin and Hopkins went down with a loud groan. Darien punched the man in the face hard, knocking him out. He opened up Hopkins hand and took the knife out of it, throwing it a few feet away so Hopkins couldn't use it again.

Darien looked down at his side and saw blood slowly oozing out of it. He put his hand against it to stop the bleeding. He saw Bobby running towards them. "Fawkes, you okay?" said Bobby with concern when he noticed Darien's wound.

Darien grimaced slightly as he examined the cut. "Yeah, it's just a scratch. I'll get the Keep to patch me up," he said.

"Conveniently," Bobby said.

Bobby and Darien picked up Hopkins and started to drag him to the van.

Darien walked towards the Keep door. One of the guards was casing the floor. He noticed Darien's bloodstained shirt. "Tough day at the office, Fawkes?" he asked.

Darien nodded. "Something like that." 

Darien put his keycard in the slot and the Keep door opened. "Hey Keepie, I need a little first aid here," he said cheerfully as he walked in. 

He looked around and didn't see Claire anywhere. He looked at his watch. Nine a.m. That was odd, thought Darien. Claire was here by seven thirty everyday. Who knows? Oh well, he thought. Maybe she had some hot date last night to celebrate her birthday and got a little drunk. The thought made Darien a little queasy. Still, this wasn't like Claire. It nagged at the back of his mind as he walked over to the place where she kept the first aid supplies. He took out some cotton, a bandage and some alcohol. He dabbed the cotton in the alcohol, lifted up his shirt and gently swiped the cut. "Ahh," hissed Darien as he felt the sting of the alcohol. He cleaned up the cut and then put a bandage on it.

Darien looked as his dressing. "I'm a regular George Clooney," he said to himself as he put the alcohol back and threw away the cotton. Darien looked up anxiously as the Keep door opened.

"Hot date Claire?" he said. He was disappointed when he saw Bobby. "When did they give you a key?" Darien asked.

Bobby smiled. "Since I convinced the Fatman that it was in his best interest to give me one."

"He gave it to you, didn't he?" Darien asked.

"That's affirmative," Bobby responded. He looked around. "Where's Claire?"

Darien shook his head in puzzlement. "I don't know. She's normally here at this time," said Darien in a slightly worried tone.

"Maybe she's talking to the Official or maybe she just called in sick or something," said Bobby. He was trying unsuccessfully to convince himself that this was indeed the case.

Darien nodded. "I'm gonna go ask the Official if he knows anything."

"Fawkes, we got to write our reports. I came down here to drag your lazy ass back up to the office. I'm sure Claire is just fine," said Bobby as he walked towards the door.

"I'll be right there, okay. Start without me," said Darien as he also walked towards the door.

Darien and Bobby exited the Keep.

Darien sat in the Official's office growing more worried by the second. "She should be there, Darien," said the Official. "She was supposed to be conducting an experiment with counteragent that we have been talking about for weeks."

"You haven't talked to her at all today?" asked Darien.

The Official shook his head. "The last time I talked to her was at about seven last night. She said she was going to come in around six and get started on the experiment."

Darien nodded. "I'm gonna go check out her place. Maybe she went out last night and slept through her alarm."

The Official picked up the phone. "I'll call Hobbes," he said.

Darien shook his head. "No, no not yet. Hobbes is paranoid enough. This could just turn out to be nothing."

"This could also be some kind of trap to get you," said the Official.

"Well, I'll let you know when I'm strapped to the table," said Darien as he quickly got of his chair and left before the Official could get another word in.

Darien drove his car quickly through morning traffic. He was growing more anxious by the minute. He looked in his rearview mirror and noticed a black sedan that he could've sworn had been parked near the agency. Nobody follows Darien Fawkes, he thought. Hell, he was becoming as paranoid as Hobbes.

He reached Claire's apartment and jumped out of his car. He noticed her SUV was still in it's spot. He started to calm down a little bit. Maybe she did just sleep in, he thought. He walked to the door and knocked gently. "Claire," he yelled. He stood there for a few moments and got no response. He knocked louder. "Claire," he yelled even louder. Darien was starting to panic again. He reached for the knob and was surprised when it opened. This was definitely not good. He knew no matter how messed up Claire was when she came home, she would still lock the door.

He opened the door and looked down at the floor. All of here birthday presents from the day before lay scattered right in front of the door. "Claire," he yelled wildly as he ran up the stairs. He ran into her bedroom and then into her bathroom and turned up nothing.

He ran back down the stairs and was greeted by Pavlov. "Hi Pavlov," said Darien absentmindedly as he walked around her apartment. He was about to walk to the front door when he spotted a hypodermic needle on the ground. He picked it up and noticed remnants of a clear liquid.

"Aw crap," Darien said to Pavlov, who looked at him strangely. Darien knelt down and gently petted the little dog. "I wish you could talk because then you could tell me what happened," he said to Pavlov. Pavlov responded by licking hi arm.

Darien got up and walked in the kitchen. He got out some dog food and put it in the dish. He figured Pavlov hadn't eaten since last night and he knew Claire treasured her four-legged friend.

The phone in the kitchen started to ring. Darien looked at it hesitantly. After the third ring, he picked it up. "Hello?" said Darien.

"Hello Fawkes," said Arnaud, on the other line.

Darien's blood ran cold. It all made sense to him now. "What did you do to Claire, you sick bastard," he said angrily.

"The Keeper is quite comfortable for the moment, Fawkes. If you want her to stay that way, you need to cooperate with me," Arnaud said coolly.

Darien took a glass lying on the kitchen counter and threw it against the wall, smashing it into tiny pieces. "If you hurt her, I will rip your invisible body to shreds," he yelled.

"Well, that's really up to you. To get her back alive, you need to bring me all the files you have on quicksilver and the gland. Download them on a disk and then bring them to me. Then you will get your Keepie back," said Arnaud. "If you don't get me the files, well then, you're going to have find yourself a new doctor."

"How do I know you haven't killed her already?" Darien asked angrily.

"Hold on one moment," Arnaud said.

Darien stood in the kitchen, his heart pounding loudly in his ears.

"Darien?" said Claire on the other end.

Darien felt a touch of relief. "Claire, Claire, has he hurt you?"

"No, no. Darien, don't do it. It's a…" Claire said quickly before being interrupted.

"Claire…" Darien yelled.

Arnaud got back on the line. "I think that's enough."

"Here are the rules Fawkes. You get the files and my associate will meet you. You will drive your car to my location. If you tell your crazy partner or your fat boss, she dies. If I see any agency vehicles or agency guys snooping around, she dies. You're being watched, so don't try anything," Arnaud said. 

"If you hurt her, I will damage you," Darien said harshly into the phone.

"We'll will be in touch. See you soon," said Arnaud cheerfully as he hung up the phone.

Darien slammed the phone down on the counter. He quickly ran to the door. Pavlov followed him anxiously. Darien looked down at the dog. "Don't worry Pavlov, I'm gonna bring your mommy home safe." Darien walked out the door, his heart racing and his stomach in knots.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Unknown location

Follow the Breadcrumbs Part 3

By Carol M.

Summary: Arnaud spoils the fun

Spoilers: Most of the back nine

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I don't own em, I just play with em.

Okay, so I know I've been leaving you guys with cliffhangers. So I worked my tail off and decided to post the rest of the story all at once. Now you will only have to wait a few seconds while you switch from part to part. Enjoy!

Unknown location

Claire sat in a wooden chair, her hands tied behind her back tightly with rope. She had been trying unsuccessfully to loosen them for the last hour. Arnaud sat at a small desk, typing away on a laptop computer, while his two goons, Jake and Frankie, sat at a table, drinking coffee. Every few seconds one of them would look over at her to make sure she wasn't trying to escape. She gave them a nasty look every time. 

At least Arnaud was visible, so to speak. He had gotten his own face and hands cloned, so he looked pretty much like normal. Claire didn't think she could take another invisible man, at least not one this sinister.

She was scared. Not so much for herself, but for Darien. She heard the panic in his voice when she had been on the phone with him for those few seconds. She was afraid what he might do. If he actually did what Arnaud wanted and broke into the computer and stole the files, then the Official would have him killed. Of course, Arnaud would probably kill him before the Official even knew the files were gone.

Another small problem that came with this whole ordeal was the matter of counteragent. She didn't know if Darien had gone invisible much the day before. She hoped not. She remembered that there was a spare hypodermic full of counteragent in the Keep that she had made the day before so she could start the counteragent experiment. She just hoped that Darien would think enough to look around and find it.

She leaned back in her chair and stretched her cramped body. Arnaud noticed her. "Are you finding the accommodations comfortable Ms. Keepley?" Arnaud said with a smile as he walked over to her.

Claire smiled evilly. "Oh they are just bloody perfect," she snarled.

"Now, now Claire, there is no need to get testy," Arnaud said as he got in her face. He took his finger and ran it gently down her face. Claire tried to move away from his touch.

"Tell me, has Fawkes ever touched you like this?" Arnaud asked as he moved his hand away from his face. "Because I sensed something between you two during your little phone conversation."

Claire just stared at him, refusing to talk. He ran his hand through her hair. "It's too bad really. You two would have been a cute couple. I would have loved to have a picture of your kids for my wallet, but since Fawkes isn't going to survive, I guess that will never happen," Arnaud said with a smile.

Claire glared at Arnaud, a tear trickling down her cheek.

Darien pulled into his spot at the Agency for the second time that day. He walked through the front door, trying to appear cool and collected. That was much easier said than done. He felt sheer panic rise in him as he walked past the guards. "Hi Fawkes," one of them said.

Darien just waved as he walked into the elevator and headed down to the Keep. He was struggling with this whole situation. He didn't know if he should tell Bobby and the Official about this or not. He figured it was probably better to just not tell them and get on with it. Plus, he knew the Official would never let him give Arnaud the files. He also knew that Arnaud would never buy fake files. 

Another fact that Darien was very well aware of was that he couldn't trust Arnaud. Arnaud would probably kill both of them as soon as he got the files. But Darien was going to try his hardest not to let that happen.

He stepped out of the elevator and walked into the Keep after opening the door with his keycard. He marched straight to Claire's computer. He opened her desk drawer and started digging through it, searching for a disk. "Bingo," he said as he pulled out a brand new disk.

He pressed enter on the computer to undo the screensaver. A big box with the word password appeared. "Aw crap," muttered Darien. Think, damn it, think, what would her password be, he thought.

He started typing things in the computer. Quicksilver. Nope. Claire. Nope. Darien thought for a moment. Pavlov. Nope. Hobbes. Nope. Darien smiled nervously for a second. Fawkes. Nope. He looked around the Keep. He turned back and typed Bartholomew. Bingo. He chuckled softly

. "Score one for Darien," he said to himself. 

If this hadn't had been done under such dire circumstances, Darien would be sitting back and smiling right about now, but he had to concentrate on the task at hand. He pulled up the files on quicksilver and inserted the disk into the computer. He pressed download. 

Darien sat impatiently waiting for the files to download. It had been 15 minutes and he was at 90 percent. He heard the Keep door open. Darien panicked and immediately quicksilvered.

Bobby stepped into the Keep. "Fawkes," he yelled. "You down here?"

Bobby started to walk around the lab. "Fawkes?" Bobby yelled again. He walked over towards the computer and saw the files being downloaded.

"You're down here, aren't you Fawkes? Playing the old invisible game. Come on man, I'm you're friend, we can talk this out," Bobby said firmly.

Darien let the quicksilver flake off of him. A quick look at the computer told him the files were 96 percent downloaded.

"Fawkes, what are you doing? Does this have something to do with Claire?" Bobby asked in a worried tone.

Darien shook his head. "I can't tell you Bobby, I wish I could," said Darien in a sincere voice.

"No, no. Please tell me you aren't doing what I think you're doing kid. He's got her right, Arnaud's got her and he wants the files. You can't trust that bastard Fawkes, he's just messing with your mind," said Bobby with concern.

"I have to man, he's gonna kill her. I'm not going to let her die for this crap. You have to let me do this," Darien begged as he stepped towards the computer to get the completed files.

Bobby stepped in front of him and pulled out his gun. "No man. This is a trap Fawkes. I can smell it. He's going to kill you and he's going to kill Claire. Let me help you. We'll get his guy for good," Bobby pleaded.

Darien shook his head. "No, I can't. I'm sorry, Bobby," said Darien as he quicksilvered.

"Fawkes!" Bobby yelled as he waved his gun in the air. Darien quickly moved behind Bobby and picked up a glass bottle. He smashed it down on the back of Bobby's head, knocking him out. 

"I'm sorry, my friend," Darien whispered as he looked down at Bobby's unconscious form. Darien let the quicksilver flake off his body. He took the disk from the computer and started to walk out the Keep. Then he noticed a jar full of needles on one of the lab tables. 

Counteragent. He needed counteragent.

He checked his tatoo. So far so good, but he wanted to have some with him just in case.

He searched through Claire's desk drawers coming up empty handed. "Come on, Claire, you got to have something," he said to himself as he started to search frantically through the Keep.

He shuffled through papers on her desk and through the medical supplies. The last hope was the refrigerator. He opened the door and pushed aside Chinese food containers, noticing a hypo full of a blue substance in the back. Counteragent. Thank god, he thought.

He pulled the counteragent out and tucked it into his jacket, along with the disk. He took one last look at Hobbes and then walked out the door.

Darien walked quickly to his car. He looked behind him and expected to see half the agency on his tale, but the coast was clear. As he was about to open the car door, a hand stopped him. Darien looked to his right and saw a large, bald man pointing a gun at him.

"Do you have the files?" asked the man sternly.

"Yeah," Darien said coldly. "Are you Arnaud's guy? The one I'm supposed to hook up with?"

The man nodded. "Give me the files," said the man as he started to reach towards Darien's jacket. 

Darien backed away and shook his head. "Uh huh, I'm not giving this thing to anyone but Arnaud."

The man waved his gun towards the car. "Get in," he said.

Darien opened his door while the man walked around to the passenger's door and got in the car.

"So where is Arnaud's little hideaway retreat," Darien said as he started the car.

"You'll see, for now just get to the highway," the man said as he dialed a cell phone.

"He's got it," the man said into the phone. "We should be there in about 2 hours."

Darien slipped his hand nonchalantly in his jacket pocket. He looked at the man to make sure he

was not watching him. Darien carefully took the counteragent out of his pocket and placed it under his seat. He wasn't taking any chances that Arnaud might try to destroy the counteragent if he discovered it. This would be Darien's own little insurance policy.

Later

Darien had been driving for over an hour on a dirt road. They were in the middle of nowhere and he had absolutely no idea where he was. He was starting to think that maybe letting Bobby in on the situation might not have been such a bad move.

Darien could see the start of a forest a couple hundreds yards up the road. As he drove closer, he realized that the road they were on was about to end.

"Stop the car now, Mr. Fawkes," the bald man said roughly.

Darien stopped the car and shut it off. The man got out of the car. He pointed his gun at Darien. "Get out. We walk the rest of the way," the man said.

"Well if I would have known that we were going to be walking, I would've brought my hiking books," Darien said sarcastically as he got out of the car. The man rolled his eyes in disgust. "Move it, now," he said forcefully.

Darien just nodded, not wanting to piss the man off and end up getting Claire killed. He followed the man as they started to trek through the woods.

Bobby woke up with a groan on the Keep floor. "Claire? Fawkes?" he said softly.

Then he remembered. Fawkes copying the files, Claire kidnapped, Fawkes hitting him over the head. Damn kid, he was going to get him back for that one.

He got up slowly, wincing at the pain in his skull. Fawkes. He had to find Fawkes. Actually he had to find Arnaud. Wherever Arnaud was, Darien and Claire would be there too. 

Bobby walked over to the medical supplies and put some cotton on his head, wiping the blood away. Then he put a small bandage over the cut. He walked over to the Keep door, not knowing what to do.

Who could he turn to? He couldn't trust Eberts and he damn sure couldn't trust the Official. Alex. He would go to Alex. She scratches my back and I'll scratch hers, Bobby thought. If Bobby wasn't so worried about Fawkes and the Keeper, he might have taken that last thought straight to naughtyville, but as it was he just wanted to find them both as soon as he could.

He walked out the Keep door and onto the elevator, taking it to the fifth floor. He stepped out and walked to Alex's office. He knocked on the door loudly.

"Come in," he heard Alex say.

Bobby stepped in and saw Alex working at her computer. Alex leaned back in her chair when she saw Bobby. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Bobby," said Alex.

Bobby walked over to her quickly. "I need your help," he said cautiously.

Alex looked at him in surprise. "Why do you need my help? Why don't you ask your partner? I thought you two were inseparable," she said in confusion.

Bobby shook his head. "Look, Fawkes and the Keeper are in trouble. I need someone I can trust, someone that isn't going to go running to the Official to tattle. Now can I trust you to help me help them?" Bobby pleaded.

Alex looked at him for a moment and nodded slowly. "Yeah, you can trust me. What's going on?" she asked with concern.

"Arnaud De Phon… you heard of him?" Bobby said as he looked at Alex. Alex shook her head. "Well Arnaud was one of the scientists responsible for putting the gland in Fawkes' head. He also killed Fawkes' brother. To make a long story short, he hates Fawkes and he wants the files on quicksilver. He kidnapped Claire and made Fawkes copy the files to get her back," Bobby said.

"So basically, you caught Fawkes stealing the files and he said he wasn't supposed to tell anyone about the situation. He got away and now you don't know where any of them are," Alex said.

Bobby nodded. "Yeah, that's how it happened," he said. "Look Alex, Arnaud's going to kill both of them once he gets what he wants. Fawkes, he's the best friend I ever had and Claire, well Claire ain't so bad either," Bobby said softly.

Alex nodded slowly. "Okay, let's go," said Alex as she walked to her desk and picked up her jacket.

"Where are we going?" asked Bobby as he followed her.

"I've got some connections that may be able to help us find them," she said as the two of them walked out of her office.

Darien and the bald man had been walking for about 30 minutes. Darien could faintly make out some kind of cabin in the distance. He figured that was probably Arnaud's place. God, he hoped Claire was all right.

Darien and the bald man approached the house. The man stepped up to the door and pounded loudly on it. "We're here," he yelled.

The door opened, and Darien was greeted by Arnaud. "Hello Fawkes," said Arnaud as he punched Darien hard in the face. Darien fell to the ground, dazed. The bald man picked Darien up and dragged him in the cabin, shutting the door behind them.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Follow the Breadcrumbs Part 4

Follow the Breadcrumbs Part 4

By Carol M.

Summary: Arnaud spoils the fun

Spoilers: Most of the back nine

Rating: This part is rated R. Fawkesy is going to need a few stitches after this. I'll make it up to you Darien, I promise.

Disclaimer: I don't own them, I just play with em.

Darien was pushed roughly into the cabin by the bald man. His eyes immediately searched the room for Claire.

"Darien," she shouted as she saw him pushed into the cabin.

"Claire," he said with some relief. She looked okay to him. He started to walk towards her but was stopped by Jake and Frankie. They held him tightly so he could not move.

Arnaud walked to his computer and sat down, inserting the disk. "This better be the real thing Fawkes," he said.

"Oh it is, pal," said Darien. He looked at Arnaud sharply. "So I see your still using that latex stuff. Why didn't you pick out a better face?" Darien said with a smirk.

Arnaud smiled. "Oh Fawkes, I do love your humor," he said as he pulled up the quicksilver files.

He got out of his chair and walked to Darien. "You know Fawkes, sometimes I really regret having killed your brother. There are so many questions that I would like to ask him about the gland." Arnaud paused and smiled at Darien. " It's been almost a year since I killed him, hasn't it?" Arnaud said wickedly.

Darien felt rage go through him. He elbowed Jake in the stomach and pulled out of Frankie's grip. He flew towards Arnaud and started to choke him with his hands. He could Claire screaming "No!" in the background, but he couldn't stop himself. This son of a bitch had hurt a lot of people that he loved. He had to pay.

Darien squeezed Arnaud's throat as hard as he could, hoping to crack his neck. His grip loosened when he was hit sharply in the side from behind. Jake picked him off of Arnaud and pushed him hard towards the wall. As he tried to recover, Frankie grabbed him roughly by the arm. Darien grimaced. He could feel his shoulder starting to pop out of place.

"Darien, please stop it," cried Claire from her position in the chair. Tears starting streaming down her face. 

Frankie got a better grip on Darien and was joined by Jake on the other side. The bald man stepped up and started punching Darien in the stomach. Darien tried to curl up to protect himself, but Frankie and Jake were holding him too tight. Punch after punch landed on Darien's ribs and stomach. He coughed, trying to catch his breath.

Arnaud, who had been recovering on the floor, slowly got up. He walked over to the bald man and stopped him from hitting Darien again. "It's my turn, Michael," he said with a sick smile.

Michael backed away. Arnaud punched Darien in the stomach with all of his strength. Darien moaned loudly, not able to stop the sound from escaping his lips. "You bastard, I'm going to kill you!" Darien shouted weakly. He tried to escape from Jake and Frankie, but their grip was too tight and he was getting weak.

"You know Fawkes, I seem to recall you beating me up two or three times before. I'm just returning the favor," Arnaud said. He punched Darien twice in the face. Darien's head drooped, but Arnaud dragged it back up by pulling Darien's hair.

"Now, now Fawkes, I thought you would be stronger then this." He looked over at Claire. "You're woman is watching."

"Stop it!" Claire screamed. She tried to get out of the chair, but the ropes were too tight. Michael went over to guard her in case she got out of the ropes.

Arnaud walked over to the desk and pulled something out from under it. A baseball bat. Aw crap, thought Darien. Arnaud walked back over to Darien.

"You know, you once told me that I should just knock you out with a baseball bat, but knocking you out wouldn't be much fun because I wouldn't get to see you suffer," said Arnaud.

Claire struggled wildly to get out of the chair, but Michael stepped over to her and held her down.

Arnaud started swinging the bat in the air. "What's that American saying? Hey batter, batter swing?" he said as he hit Darien in the stomach with the baseball bat.

Darien immediately doubled over, groaning. He felt something crack. Jake and Frankie pulled him upright. "Let's try that again, shall we?" Arnaud said. He took the bat and hit Darien with an even greater force. Darien screamed, unable to hide the pain anymore.

"Once more," Arnaud said. He took the bat and swung it with all of his might, hitting Darien right in his rib cage. The sound of bone cracking filled the room. Darien felt like his entire midsection was on fire. He felt a warm substance trickling down his side. He looked down and realized that Arnaud had hit his cut, opening it back up.

Arnaud put the bat down. "That's enough for now," he said to Frankie and Jake.

Frankie and Jake dragged Darien towards Claire and roughly threw him to the floor. Darien rolled over, moaning in pain, tears stinging his eyes. He clutched his middle with his arms, hugging himself, wishing the pain would go away.

Claire sat in her chair sobbing. She saw Darien writhing on the floor. She couldn't stand to see him in this much pain. She looked at Arnaud. "Untie me, please, let me go to him," she begged.

Arnaud nodded. He knew she wouldn't try anything with Fawkes injured. "Untie her," he said to Michael.

Michael loosened the ropes and Claire jumped out of her chair, running to Darien. She kneeled down next to him. She looked at him with tear-filled eyes. "Oh Darien," she said softly. He looked up at her and tried to smile. "Hey Keep, just thought I'd pop in and say hi," he muttered softly.

He suddenly looked up at her with panic. "I'm going to be sick" he said urgently. She quickly helped him to turn over and supported him. Darien threw up on the floor, the strain ripping his midsection apart. He groaned loudly in pain. When he was done, she gently rolled him onto his back, wiping the sweat from his face. She started to stroke his forehead softly, trying to comfort him. "It's going to be okay, Darien, you're going to be okay," she whispered soothingly into his ear.

He reached up slowly and stroked her face. "Thanks, Claire," he whispered.

Claire stopped stroking his forehead and moved down towards his waist. She lifted his shirt up to survey the damage. His entire stomach and chest was covered in bruises. She started to feel his ribs, to see if they were broken or cracked. She pushed against one, eliciting a loud moan out of Darien. "Sorry, Darien," she said with sympathy. She continued her probing and found that he had two broken ribs and one that was cracked. She noticed the blood-soaked bandage on his side. She looked up towards him. "What happened?" she asked him.

Darien tried to sound chipper, but failed miserably. "Knife got in my way," he said with a slight smile. 

Claire pulled off the bandage. "Do you dress this yourself?" she asked. Darien nodded. "She rolled up his shirt and pressed it against the wound to stop the bleeding. "You did a good job," she said with a slight smile.

Darien started to cough violently. Claire tried to support him as best she could so he wouldn't hurt himself further. The coughs produced a huge wave of pain in Darien. His eyes rolled back into his head and he passed out into oblivion, escaping the pain.

Bobby sat at a computer at the CIA branch in amazement. "So it's true, they really do watch our every move," he said. Damn, he wasn't so paranoid after all. "This is just like Enemy of the State," he said.

Alex nodded. She sat at the computer, searching through the tapes of the traffic cameras from around town. So far, they had seen Darien's car on Ninth Ave. and they had tracked him onto the highway. From there he had pulled off on an exit and after that they had lost him.

"They could be anywhere," said Bobby with disappointment. 

Alex sat tapping her long fingernails on the desk. She came up with an idea. "What about property records? Look for buildings and houses owned in the area by Arnaud or any of his associates," she said.

Bobby nodded. "It's worth a try," he said with hope.

Alex started typing away on the computer.

Eberts stepped into the Official's office, unbelieving of the situation. He had been working on his computer when he noticed that the computer log said all the quicksilver files had downloaded.

"Sir, we have a problem," said Eberts as he sat down in one of the chair's near the Official's desk.

"What is it, Eberts?" asked the Official in an annoyed tone.

Eberts shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Ah, sir, someone has downloaded the quicksilver files. I noticed it when I was working on the computer this afternoon," he said hesitantly.

The Official looked at him with concern. "Who?" he asked angrily.

"I don't know sir, maybe it was…"

"Shut up, Eberts," said the Official as he picked up a phone.

"Yeah, has anyone been down in the Keep today?" he said into the phone.

The Official listened. "Uh huh, uh huh, okay, get on it," The Official said as he slammed down the phone.

Eberts looked at him with anticipation. "Fawkes. The guard said Fawkes was in the Keep and then Hobbes joined him. Fawkes left the Keep shortly after that without Hobbes. They said that when Bobby exited the building later he was with Alex Monroe and that he had some kind of bandage on his head that wasn't there before," The Official said gruffly.

"Sir, I don't think that Darien would…" 

"He did. And Claire's missing and they can't get a hold of Alex or Bobby. Something is going on here. If Fawkes did take those files, then he's finished," the Official said as he picked up the phone again.

Eberts sat in his chair, worried about his co-workers.

Darien awoke with a small groan. He could feel someone softly stroking his battered midsection. He looked down and saw Claire tenderly rubbing his stomach. Somehow her touch seemed to ease his pain a little.

She looked up at Darien. When she saw that he was awake, she smiled. "You're back," she said.

Darien looked around the room. Arnaud was looking at the quicksilver files, while his goons sat at the table, watching him and Claire closely.

Darien looked at Claire. He suddenly remembered his tattoo. He looked down, five segments left. He was still safe. "Claire," he whispered. Claire scooted towards him and leaned down towards his mouth so she could hear him. "I got counteragent in my car. I didn't bring it with because I figured Arnaud would destroy it. But if something happens, I do have it with me," he whispered.

Claire nodded in relief. She had checked his tattoo and saw the five segments. They were still safe, but she felt safer knowing that there was some counteragent in case they needed it. She gently started to stroke his hair again. Darien closed his eyes and tried to relax. It was kind of hard though because every breath he took felt like someone was stabbing him with a knife.

Arnaud stood up dramatically from his computer. He walked towards Claire and Darien. Claire put her arms around Darien to protect him from further damage from Arnaud. Arnaud smiled when he saw her do this. "How sweet. I see that your relationship has gone a little farther then doctor and patient," he said. Claire blushed slightly at the remark.

Arnaud leaned down and looked at Fawkes. "Ah Fawkes, you were a good little boy. All the information I need to turn myself into my normal, visible self," he said.

Arnaud looked at Frankie, Jake and Michael. "Tie her back up," he said. "We're leaving.

Frankie, Jake and Michael got out of their chairs and walked towards Darien and Claire. Darien grabbed tightly on to Claire and struggled to get up. "No, your not touching her," he yelled. 

The three men pulled a struggling Claire off of Darien. They dragged her back to the chair. Darien felt a surge of energy course through him. He shot up and went after Arnaud. He swiped at his face with his hand and pulled the latex off his face, leaving Arnaud standing there with no head. Arnaud reacted by quicksilvering the rest of his body.

Darien followed suit, going completely invisible. He was going to kill him. He dove onto to him and took him down to the ground. In the process, he smashed his sore ribs. He moaned softly. "Be careful there Fawkes," said Arnaud as he got up.

This made Darien even madder. He chased Arnaud and pushed them both into the table, smashing it to pieces. He got on top of Arnaud and started to choke him again. Arnaud kicked up and caught Darien in his groin. Darien howled in pain and rolled off of Arnaud.

Claire, Jake, Frankie and Michael listened to the fight they could not see. "Darien, don't use too much quicksilver," she said.

Darien could not hear her. He was in a haze of pain; afraid he might pass out again. He took a deep breath and willed himself to get up. He could see Arnaud walking to the computer and taking out the disk, putting it in his pocket. That bastard wasn't getting those files without a fight. He dove towards Arnaud and knocked him on the ground. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the disk. He then started to punch Arnaud in the face. "You fucking bastard. You killed my brother. You give me the flu and you kidnap the one woman who means something to me," he shouted as he continued to wail on him.

Claire blushed once again. Michael walked over to the computer to try and "find" Arnaud and Darien. He tripped over Darien, causing Darien to get pushed back a little. Arnaud took the opportunity to slide away. He stood up quickly and pulled Michael's gun out of the jacket. "Goodbye Fawkes, I hope this hurts like hell," said Arnaud as he pulled the trigger. 

Claire screamed when she heard the gunshot.

Darien quickly tried to move, but felt the sudden lancing pain of a bullet enter into his stomach. He fell to the floor gasping for breath. The quicksilver flaked off of him. 

Arnaud reached into Fawkes' jacket pocket and took the disk out. He walked over to where his face had been ripped off and picked it up. "Let's get out of here, shall we?" he said to his henchmen.

Arnaud looked at Claire. She couldn't see him, but she felt his eyes on her. "You have fun Keepie, Fawkes will take awhile to die from that gunshot wound. It looks like he also might need a little shot," Arnaud said evilly.

Claire started sobbing.

Arnaud, Frankie, Jake and Michael gathered their belongings and exited out the cabin.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Follow the Breadcrumbs Part 5

Follow the Breadcrumbs Part 5

By Carol M.

Summary: Arnaud spoils the fun

Spoilers: All of the back nine

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I don't own them, I just play with em.

Darien laid on the floor of the cabin in a daze. Blood was slowly leaking out of his wound.

Claire struggled with all of her power to loosen the ropes Michael had tied her down with. "Hold on, Darien, just hold on," she said with panic. 

She moved her hands wildly, trying to loosen the ropes. Finally, she managed to slide one of her hands through. She reached behind and undid the other hand. She got up and ran to Darien.

Tears fell freely down her face. "Oh Darien," she said as she lifted up his blood soaked shirt to examine the wound. It was a stomach wound, which meant that if they didn't get help soon, he would bleed to death.

She went into the cabinet and found a glass. She filled it with water from the sink. She poured a little on the gunshot wound. Then she tore a sleeve off her sweater and cleaned the wound with the water. Darien moaned slightly. When she was done, she pressed the sleeve firmly against the wound.

She looked Darien in the eyes. "You're not going to die on me, you hear me," she said firmly.

Darien looked up at her and his mind cleared a little. He nodded and smiled slightly.

He looked at her now blood soaked sweater. "I'm sorry I ruined your new sweater," he said softly. "I'll buy you a new one when we get out of this mess."

Claire smiled. She leaned down and gave Darien a small hug. She then started to stroke his hair lightly. "Thank you, Darien," she said softly.

Darien looked at her. "For what?" he asked.

"For saving me. For risking your life. For caring," she said with a smile.

Darien returned the smile. "Ah, Keepie, you would have done the same for me," he said. 

Claire nodded. "Yes I would have," she said.

He reached for her hand and held it. "So Claire, how was your birthday? Putting aside the fact of course that you were kidnapped by a psychotic terrorist," Darien asked.

"Best one I ever had," she said with a blush.

They both looked at one another. They knew there was something between the two of them now. This whole situation had just intensified it.

Darien shut his eyes for a few moments. He reopened them when a wave of pain flashed through his head, making him scream.

"Oh, god," said Claire in fear. She checked his tattoo. Two segments left.

Darien let go of her hand and reached for her shirt. "Claire, you have to go to the car and get the counteragent," he said firmly.

Claire looked at him helplessly. "I don't want to leave you," she said.

Darien shook his head. "Claire, you have to. You just go out the door and walk straight ahead down the path. The car's about 2 miles away. The counteragent is under the driver's seat." He looked at her with pleading eyes. "Please," he said.

Claire nodded slowly. "All right," she said. She ran her hand along his face and then got up. "I'll be back as soon as I can, just hold on for me, okay?"

Darien nodded. "I will, Claire,"

Somehow, she believed him. She walked hesitantly out the door, leaving Darien to fight the demon on his own.

Bobby put his hands over his eyes and sighed. "This is getting nowhere," he said with annoyance.

They had been searching through Arnaud's properties for hours. They had tried every alias that Bobby knew, but they had found nothing.

Alex put her hand on Bobby's shoulder. "We'll find them, I promise, okay. You just have to have a little patience," she said.

"Patience is not a virtue that Bobby Hobbes possesses," he said sarcastically.

Alex felt bad for Bobby. She could tell that this was really tearing him apart.

"Okay, okay. What about friends, family, anything like that," said Alex as she looked at Bobby.

Bobby got an idea. "Try Huiclos. That's Arnaud's brother," he said.

Alex typed in Huiclos into the computer. Four records popped up. Alex examined them. "Okay, we got a property near the Alps, a property in Los Angeles, a property in Paris and, bingo…" Alex beamed widely. "A property about two hours from here. Some kind of cabin."

Bobby nodded with excitement. "That's got to be them. It's close to that exit that Fawkesy turned off on," he said as he put on his jacket.

"Let's go bring them home," he said as they exited the room.

Claire jogged as fast as she could through the woods. She knew he was suffering, whether it be from the gunshot wound or the onslaught of quicksilver madness.

Normally, she had a small fear of the woods, but not now. A bear could come on to the trail and Claire would have no problem kicking its ass. She had to get back there. He was all alone and he needed her.

She could see his car ahead. She breathed a sigh of relief. Then she saw the tires. All shot out. No way for them to get out of here. She now put all her faith in Bobby. She hoped Bobby would figure out what was going on and somehow find them. She just hoped that Darien could last that long.

She opened the door and reached under the seat. Her hands grasped a small shot. Thank god, she thought. She climbed further into the car, searching for a phone. No phone. She was going to have to scold for that.

She got out of the car and started jogging back to the cabin. Her jog turned into a full on sprint. She never knew she could be this powerful. The adrenaline in her body was working overtime.

She ran for what felt like an eternity before she spotted the cabin. She reached the door and opened it quickly.

"Darien, I got it," she yelled as she entered the cabin. She froze. Darien wasn't on the floor.

"Hello Claire," he said from the back corner of the cabin.

She looked at him in horror. The red eyed monster had returned. The extra adrenaline from the madness was making him strong, letting him escape the pain of his injuries. He walked towards her slowly.

"No, Darien, not again," she said as she stepped closer to him with the counteragent in her hand.

Darien saw the counteragent and shook his head sharply. "I don't need that, Claire," he said with a horrible smile.

He walked towards her and slapped her. This wasn't happening again, she thought. She backed away. He came at her and started to attack her. "No Darien," she screamed as he tried to pry the needle away from her.

She quickly lashed out at his midsection. Darien howled in pain, but it didn't stop the attack. "That wasn't very nice, Claire," he said as he pushed her to the ground.

Claire shook her head. She wasn't going to let him do this again. Not to her and not to himself. They had already been through too much together. She kicked him in the knee, making him lose balance. She quickly got up and pushed him to the ground. She got on top of him and started to push the needle into his neck. He grabbed her hand to stop it. "Darien," she screamed. She looked him the eyes. For a split second, he loosened his grip, the real Darien emerging from the animal. "Claire," he moaned in a struggle between his good and evil side. Claire took the needle and jammed it into his neck. 

"Ahhh," he screamed wildly as the counteragent went into his system. He thrashed around for a few seconds and then slowly calmed down. His eyes closed and he passed out.

Claire breathed a sigh of relief. She checked his tattoo and saw it was returning to all green.

She straightened his body so he was lying on his back. She ripped another sleeve of her sweater and pushed it against Darien's wound, which had started to bleed again.

She picked up his head and put it in her lap. She hugged him and stroked his hair. She prayed to god that Bobby would find them. Darien was running out of time.

Bobby drove the van like a wild man. They had been on this dirt road for what seemed like years. He could make out a car up ahead. He held his breath as the van neared it. Fawkes' car. They were close.

Alex pointed to the woods. "There's a path," she said.

Bobby noticed the shot out tires. He hoped they weren't too late. Alex started to get out of the car. "No," Bobby said suddenly.

"Bobby, it's right down this path," she said.

"We're taking the van," he said firmly.

Alex looked at the path. "Bobby, the van is never going to make it through that," she said.

Bobby nodded. "Oh yeah she will," he said with no doubt.

Alex shook her head in disbelief. "All right, if you say so," she said.

Bobby drove the van down the path. He had been right, the van could make it through the path. They drove for about 15 minutes when they saw the cabin. Bobby stopped the van. He didn't want to announce his presence in case the bad guys were still there.

Bobby and Alex both jumped out of then van, guns drawn. They walked quickly and quietly towards the cabin. "I'll go in the front, you go in the back," Alex whispered.

Bobby shook his head. "No, you go in the back, I'll go in the front," he said.

"Bobby…" Alex started to protest, but she saw the determined look in Bobby's eyes.

"Fine," she said. She made her way around the cabin.

Bobby crept up to the window and peaked through. Nothing. Okay, hopefully the coast was clear. He walked to the front door and kicked it open, pointing his gun. 

"Bobby!" Claire shouted in relief from her position on the floor. Bobby immediately put down his gun and ran to Claire and Darien. Darien looked bad, really bad.

Alex had heard the commotion and had decided to come in the front. She walked in and saw Claire cradling a badly injured Darien and Bobby holding his partner's hand. She felt out of place. She wasn't close to any of them, not yet anyway. "I'll pull the van closer, Bobby," she said softly.

Bobby and Claire looked at her. "Thanks, Alex," Bobby said as he continued to hold Darien's hand. Claire smiled at her.

Alex went to the van and pulled it closer to the cabin. "It's ready," she said as she entered the cabin again. Bobby carefully picked Darien up with Claire's help and they put him the van. 

Alex got in the driver's seat and started the car, while Bobby and Claire kept their fallen friend company.

2 days later

Darien's eyes fluttered softly. He could her a soft, annoying beeping sound. "Five more minutes, mom," he mumbled softly.

He heard a small giggle. Reluctantly, he opened his heavy eyes. He could see a blurry head of blonde hair. He blinked a few times and his vision cleared. Claire sat at his side, holding his hand. He looked around and realized he was in a hospital room. The beep he had heard was the sound of a monitor. "Aw crap," he said with a raspy voice.

Claire smiled. Darien tried to move but found that his entire body was numb. Claire put her hand against his chest. "Don't try and move, Darien. You'll rip out your stitches," she said.

Stitches. What the hell did he need stitches for? Knife wound, bullet wound? Bullet wound. It all came back. Arnaud, the disk, the madness. He suddenly looked up at Claire with concern. "Did I hurt you?" he asked urgently.

She smiled and gently shook her head. "No, you didn't Darien. You weren't too nice, but you didn't hurt me," she said softly.

Darien sighed in relief. "Thank god," he said.

He felt her hand rubbing his hand. He looked up at her tenderly. She returned the look.

She slowly got up and leaned in towards his face. She brushed her lips against his softly. She felt him accepting her and she kissed him harder. He returned the kiss with just as much strength. He reached up with his hand and gently stroked her hair as they continued to kiss.

She slowly pulled back, a dreamy look on her face. Darien looked much the same way. Wow, they both thought. That was the best kiss that either of them had ever had.

Claire looked at Darien. "Spencer," she said.

Darien gave her a confused look. "Huh?" he muttered.

"Claire Marie Spencer. Spencer is my last name," she said.

Darien stared intensely at her. "Thank you," he said softly after a few moments.

Claire smiled through unshed tears. "No, thank you. Thank you for saving me," she said.

"Not a problem," he said.

Bobby entered his hospital room. He smiled when he saw that Darien was awake. "Welcome back, my friend," he said as he walked over to Darien.

Darien looked at him with apprehension. "Hey man, I'm sorry about hitting you. I just kind of panicked you know. But, anyway, I'm really sorry," Darien said sincerely.

Bobby nodded. "It's okay kid. I'll get you back," he said with a smile as he gave Darien a high five.

Claire looked at Bobby. "Does he know?" Claire asked Bobby with concern.

"Yeah, he knows. They don't know where he is though. Alex is down there trying to stall him," said Bobby.

Darien looked at both of them with confusion. "Does who know what?" he asked.

"The Official," Claire responded. "The Agency is after you Darien. They don't know you're here. We're 200 hundred miles away from San Diego."

Darien shook his head in disbelief. "What the hell I am going to do now?"

Claire smiled at him and took his hand. "We're going to get you out of this Darien. We're going to get the files back and we're going to get the Official off your back," Claire said firmly.

Bobby nodded. "That's right Fawkesy."

Darien nodded, suddenly growing very tired. All of this was too much to take. "Thank guys," he mumbled as he drifted off to sleep.

Claire and Bobby looked at one another awkwardly. "You want some coffee or something, Claire?" Bobby asked.

Claire nodded. "That would be great, Bobby," she said.

"Okay, I'll be back in a few minutes," he said as he started to walk out of the room.

He stepped back in. "Claire," he said softly. She turned to look at him. "Yeah," she said.

"I'm glad you're all right," he said. Then he walked out of the room.

Claire smiled. She looked down at Darien, sleeping. He had risked his life to save hers, now she was going to risk her life to save his. Bobby and Claire were not going to let the Official take down Darien without a fight.

The End

TBC in my next story Brother to Brother. I don't mean to leave you with a cliffhanger, but that's just the way it worked out. I will post the next story soon, I promise. Thanks for reading!


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